Casing of electronic device

ABSTRACT

A casing of an electronic device including a metallic housing and a first non-conductive spacer is provided. The metallic housing has an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, the outer surface of the metallic housing is dyed, the inner surface is substantially a recessed structure, and the metallic housing has a first gap communicating the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein the metallic housing further comprises at least one connecting terminal. The first non-conductive spacer, disposed in the first gap of the metallic housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of and claims the prioritybenefit of application Ser. No. 14/183,534, filed on Feb. 19, 2014, nowpending, which claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/804,160, filed on Mar. 21, 2013. The entirety ofeach of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporatedby reference herein and made a part of this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a casing, and particularly to a casing of anelectronic device.

RELATED ART

In recent years, electronic devices, such as notebooks (NB), tabletcomputers, and smart phones, have been widely used in daily life alongwith the development of technologies. Types and functions of theelectronic devices are increasingly diversified, and the electronicdevices are more popular due to convenience and practicality thereof andcan be used for different purposes.

In order to maintain a mechanical strength of a casing of an electronicdevice while pursuing for slim design, a conventional method is tomanufacture the casing of the electronic device with different materialsby bonding metal parts and plastic parts. The metal parts and theplastic parts may be bonded by adhesives, but such method may lead tosteps or gaps generated by differences in element sizes or assemblytolerances between the metal parts and the plastic parts, which affectsquality of the casing of the electronic device in terms of exterior.Accordingly, in order to provide the casing of the electronic devicewith a seamless exterior, it is changed nowadays to bond the metal partsand the plastic part by using an insert molding technique or an in-moldtechnique. However, an anodizing process may also be adopted as in theconventional art for dyeing the outer surface of the metal parts incurrent technology, so that the casing of the electronic device mayprovide a color exterior. During manufacturing processes, if the metalparts of the casing of the electronic device are dyed before bonding themetal parts and the plastic parts, the metal parts are prone to damagesfrom molds in the insert molding process or the in-mold process, whichaffects the color exterior. If the metal parts and the plastic parts arebonded before dyeing the casing of the electronic device by theanodizing process, an airtight ability between the metal parts and theplastic parts may be insufficient, such that a process solvent used inthe anodizing process may easily be remained in between the two,resulting a problem of uneven dyeing in the subsequent dyeing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a casing of an electronic device having aneven color exterior.

The casing of the electronic device of the invention includes a metallichousing and a first non-conductive spacer. The metallic housing has aninner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. Theouter surface of the metallic housing is dyed, the inner surface issubstantially a recessed structure, and the metallic housing has a firstgap connecting through the inner surface and the outer surface, whereinthe metallic housing further includes at least one connecting terminal.The first non-conductive spacer is disposed in the first gap of themetallic housing.

Based on above, in the casing of the electronic device of the invention,the inner surface is substantially a recessed structure, wherein themetallic housing has a first gap connecting through the inner surfaceand the outer surface, and the first non-conductive spacer is disposedin the first gap of the metallic housing. Further, the outer surface ofthe metallic housing is dyed. Accordingly, the electronic device mayprovide favorable mechanical strength, and the electronic device mayprovide an even color exterior.

To make the above features and advantages of the invention morecomprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings aredescribed in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a casing of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1Ataken along line I-I′.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing the casing of theelectronic device of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3G are schematic diagrams illustrating flows for themethod of manufacturing the casing of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the casing of the electronic device ofFIG. 3D.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the casing of the electronic device ofFIG. 3E.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the casing of the electronic device ofFIG. 3G.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a casing of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is across-sectional diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 1A taken alongline I-I′. Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, in the present embodiment,a casing 100 of an electronic device includes a metallic housing 110, afirst non-conductive spacer 120 a and a second non-conductive spacer 120b, wherein the metallic housing 110 includes an inner surface S1 and anouter surface S2 opposite to the inner surface S1. The inner surface S1is recessed inwardly to substantially form a recessed structure, so thatthe rest of components (e.g., a battery, a circuit board or an audiodevice) of an electronic device (not illustrated) may be disposed in thecasing 100 of the electronic device. The casing 100 of the electronicdevice may be used to cover the rest of components suitable for theelectronic device, so as to form the electronic device. The electronicdevice is, for example, a smart phone, and the casing 100 of theelectronic device is, for example, a casing of the smart phone.Nonetheless, the types of the electronic device and the casing 100 ofthe electronic device are not particularly limited in the invention.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, the metallic housing 110includes a first gap 112 a and a second gap 112 b connecting through theinner surface S1 and the outer surface S2. The first gap 112 a and thesecond gap 112 b are respectively located at two opposite sides of themetallic housing 110 and substantially in parallel, but a relativeposition of the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b is notparticularly limited in the invention. In advance, in the presentembodiment, the metallic housing 110 includes an upper cover 110 a, amiddle cover 110 b and a lower cover 110 c, in which the middle cover110 b is located between the upper cover 110 a and the lower cover 110c. The first gap 112 a is located between the upper cover 110 a and themiddle cover 110 b, and the second gap 112 b is located between themiddle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 c. In addition, the casing100 of the electronic device of the present embodiment includes anon-conductive layer 120 disposed on the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110, wherein part of the non-conductive layer 120 isexposed to the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110. Morespecifically, part of the non-conductive layer 120 of the presentembodiment includes a first non-conductive spacer 120 a and a secondnon-conductive spacer 120 b which are extended from the inner surface S1to the outer surface S2. The first non-conductive spacer 120 a and thesecond non-conductive spacer 120 b are disposed in the first gap 112 aand the second gap 112 b of the metallic housing 110, respectively.Furthermore, the non-conductive layer 120 also includes a non-conductiveframe 120 c disposed on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110and surrounding periphery of the metallic housing 110 (as illustrated inFIG. 4 and FIG. 5).

In the present embodiment, the first non-conductive spacer 120 a and thesecond non-conductive spacer 120 b are substantially strip structure andembedded in the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b. Nevertheless,the shapes of the first non-conductive spacer 120 a and the secondnon-conductive spacer 120 b are not particularly limited in theinvention. The first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b substantiallyseparate the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b, and the lowercover 110 c from each other. More specifically, in the presentembodiment, the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b completelyseparate the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lowercover 110 c from each other (as shown in FIG. 1B), so that the uppercover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 c (which areall conductive) are separated from each other. And, because the firstnon-conductive spacer 120 a and the second non-conductive spacer 120 bare non-conductive, the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b andthe lower cover 110 c may be electrically insulated from each other bydisposing the first non-conductive spacer 120 a and the secondconductive spacer 120 b in the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b.Accordingly, the metallic housing 110 may be divided into a plurality ofregions adjacent to but not contacting each other, such as three regionsR1, R2 and R3 depicted in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. However, in otherembodiments, the gaps may be selectively disposed at lateral sides ofthe metallic housing 110 based on requirements, and extended only to themiddle of the metallic housing 110. In this case, the upper cover 110 a,the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 c may be separated by thegaps, but the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lowercover 110 c are still contacting each other. In other words, in case theupper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 c arenot required to be electrically insulated from each other (e.g., in casethe upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 care not used as antenna regions, or different design for the antennaregions are adopted in the subsequent process), the gaps do not need tocompletely separate the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b andthe lower cover 110 c from each other, thus the invention is not limitedto aforesaid embodiment. Although the casing 100 of the electronicdevice of the present embodiment includes the first non-conductivespacer 120 a and the second non-conductive spacer 120 b and the metallichousing 110 includes the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b, thecasing 100 of the electronic device may still adjust quantity andposition of the gaps and non-conductive spacers based on requirement asin other embodiments.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the metallic housing 110 furtherincludes two connecting terminals 114 corresponding to the upper cover110 a and the lower cover 110 c of the metallic housing 110,respectively. More specifically, the connecting terminals 114 are formedby the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110. While disposing therest of the components of the electronic device in the casing 100 of theelectronic device, the rest of the components of the electronic devicemay be electrically connected to the metallic housing 110 by theconnecting terminals 114. Although the connecting terminals 114 of thepresent embodiment are illustrated as two for example, and the twoconnecting terminals 114 are corresponding to the upper cover 110 a andthe lower cover 110 c, respectively, the casing 100 of the electronicdevice may still adjust quantity and position of the connectingterminals 114 of the casing 100 of the electronic device based onrequirements as in other embodiments.

Since part of the non-conductive layer 120 formed in the first gap 112 aand the second gap 112 b and exposed to the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 divides the metallic housing 110 into the regionsR1, R2 and R3 adjacent to but not contacting each other, wherein theregions R1 and R3 may serve as the antenna region, such that theelectronic device may be provided with functions of an antenna. Forinstance, the antenna region formed by the region R1 may be applied intechnologies such as Bluetooth (BT) transmission, Wireless Fidelity(WiFi), Globe Positioning System (GPS) or Diversity antenna; whereas theantenna region formed by the region R3 may be applied in technologiessuch as global system for mobile communications (GSM), Long TermEvolution (LTE) network and Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access(WCDMA). Therefore, the casing 100 of the electronic device allows theelectronic device to combine with a plurality of wireless transmissiondevice for expanding functionality of the electronic device.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the casing 100 of theelectronic device has a color appearance which is presented by the outersurface S2 of the metallic housing 110 dyed by a process solvent withcolors. Therefore, in addition to steps of forming the first gap 112 aand the second gap 112 b on the metallic housing 110, forming the firstnon-conductive spacer 120 a and the second non-conductive spacer 120 bdisposed in the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b, and formingthe non-conductive frame 120 c on the metallic housing 110, process ofmanufacturing the casing 100 of the electronic device according to theembodiments of the invention also requires to dye the metallic housing110. Accordingly, an order of aforesaid steps may affect a yield rate ofthe process. For instance, if the metallic housing 110 is dyed beforebonding the dyed metallic housing 110 with the non-conductive layer 120,the metallic housing 110 is prone to be damaged from molds during thebonding process to affect the color appearance thereof. If the metallichousing 110 is bonded with the non-conductive layer 120 before dyeingthe metallic housing 110, the process solvent may be easily remainedbetween the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120,resulting a problem of uneven dyeing in the subsequent dyeing process.Accordingly, the casing 100 of the electronic device is manufactured byusing the following method, which is capable of reducing incidence ofsaid problem to decrease a possibility of the uneven dyeing of thecasing of the electronic device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing the casing of theelectronic device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3G are schematic diagramsillustrating flows for the method of manufacturing the casing of theelectronic device of FIG. 1A. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3G illustrate each step inthe method of manufacturing the casing 100 of the electronic deviceaccording to the embodiments of the invention in sequence. The method ofmanufacturing the casing 100 of the electronic device according to theembodiments of the invention are described sequentially in text below byreference with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A to FIG. 3G.

First, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the metallic housing110 is provided in step S110. In the present embodiment, the step ofproviding the metallic housing 110 includes the following steps. In stepS112, a metallic sheet 102 is provided, as shown in FIG. 3A. A materialof the metallic sheet 102 is aluminum for example, but the material ofthe metallic sheet 102 is not particularly limited in the invention.Next, in step S114, the metallic sheet 102 is mechanically treated toform the metallic housing 110 in which the metallic housing 110 includesthe inner surface S1 and the outer surface S2 opposite to the innersurface S1. The step of machining the metallic sheet 102 includes, forexample, a computer numerical control (CNC) treatment, but the method ofmachining the metallic sheet 102 is not particularly limited in theinvention. The inner surface S1 recessed inwardly is formed aftermachining the metallic sheet 102 while the outer surface S2 may maintaina status of not being treated, as shown in FIG. 3B. In addition, in thepresent embodiment, the step of machining the metallic sheet 102 in stepS104 includes forming two gaps (the first gap 112 a and the second gap112 b) on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110, and thefirst gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b are extended to the outersurface S2. In the present embodiment, the step of forming the two gapsincludes machining one surface of the metallic sheet 102 (e.g., an uppersurface of the metallic sheet 102 as shown in FIG. 3B) to form the innersurface S1 recessed inwardly, and then machining another surface of themetallic sheet 102 (e.g., a lower surface of the metallic sheet 102 asshown in FIG. 3B), so as to form the first gap 112 a and the second gap112 b connecting through the inner surface S1 inwardly from the outersurface S2 of the metallic sheet 102. The first gap 112 a and the secondgap 112 b are respectively located on two ends (a front end and a backend) of the metallic housing 110 to substantially divide the metallichousing 110 into three regions. In addition, in the step of machiningthe metallic sheet 102 further includes forming a plurality ofsupporting structures 113 a and 113 b on the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110. The supporting structures 113 a and 113 b are, forexample, connecting bridges, wherein the supporting structures 113 a aredisposed on the first gap 112 a, and the supporting structures 113 b aredisposed on the second gap 112 b. Although only one of the supportingstructures 113 a and only one of the supporting structures 113 b areillustrated in the cross-sectional diagram of FIG. 3B, practically, twosupporting structures 113 a and two supporting structures 113 b may bedisposed on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 (asillustrated in FIG. 4). That is, each of the gaps is correspondinglydisposed with two supporting structures. Because the first gap 112 a andthe second gap 112 b of the present embodiment substantially penetratethrough the metallic housing 110 to divide the metallic housing 110 intothe three regions not contacting each other, a relative position betweenthe three regions of the metallic housing 110 and mechanical strengthsthereof may be maintained by disposing the supporting structures 113 aand 113 b. Despite the present embodiment disposing the two supportingstructures between each of the gaps, in other embodiments, each of thegaps may also be disposed with only one or even more of the supportingstructures, and the invention is not limited thereto. Further, in anembodiment with the metallic housing 110 not completely separated by thegaps, said supporting structures may be omitted, and whether to disposethe supporting structures or not is not particularly limited in theinvention. Forming the gaps on the inner surface S1 of the metallichousing allows the non-conductive layer 120 formed in the subsequentsteps to also extend into the gaps, thus quantity, position and whetherto dispose them or not are not limited in the invention, which may beadjusted based on requirements.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D, a plurality of apertures130 are formed on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 instep S120, and the non-conductive layer 120 is formed on the innersurface S1 of the metallic housing 110 and part of the non-conductivelayer 120 is extended into the apertures 130 in step S130. In thepresent embodiment, the step of forming the apertures 130 on the innersurface S1 of the metallic housing 110 includes a nano moldingtechnology (NMT), but the invention is not limited thereto.

In FIG. 3C, the step of forming the apertures 130 on the inner surfaceS1 of the metallic housing 110 (step S120) includes flushing the innersurface S1 of the metallic housing 110 by an acidic solvent, and formingthe apertures 130 on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110.An inner diameter d of the apertures 130 is between 20 nm to 100 nm. Inother words, a size of the apertures 130 formed on the inner surface S1of the metallic housing 110 is in nanoscale. In addition, because theinner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 of the present embodimentincludes the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b, the step offorming the apertures 130 on the inner surface S1 of the metallichousing 110 (step S120) further includes forming the apertures 130 onsurfaces of the gaps (the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b) ofthe metallic housing 110. In other words, the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110 and the surfaces of the first gap 112 a and thesecond gap 112 b may all have the apertures 130 formed thereon by theacidic solvent at the same time. For the convenience of the process, thestep of flushing the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 (stepS120) may include flushing the entire metallic housing 110 by the acidicsolvent (e.g., dipping the entire metallic housing 110 into the acidicsolvent), or flushing the metallic housing 110 comprehensively by theacidic solvent, so as to form the apertures 130 on surfaces (includingthe inner surface S1, the outer surface S2, and the surfaces of thefirst gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b) of the entire metallic housing110. In other words, whether the outer surface S2 of the metallichousing 110 includes the apertures 130 is not particularly limited inthe invention.

In the present embodiment, the method of manufacturing the casing 100 ofthe electronic device further includes the following steps. The metallichousing 110 is washed before the step of flushing the entire metallichousing 110 by the acidic solvent, and after the step of flushing theentire metallic housing 110 by the acidic solvent. More specifically,after the step of providing the metallic housing 110 (step S110), andbefore the step of flushing the entire metallic housing 110 by theacidic solvent, the metallic housing 110 may be washed to prevent dustor oil remained during the process of machining from affecting thesurfaces of the metallic housing 110 and reacting with the acidicsolvent thereby influencing the formation of the apertures 130.Similarly, after the step of flushing the entire metallic housing 110 bythe acidic solvent, the metallic housing 110 may be washed to preventthe acidic solvent from remaining to affect the subsequent process ofdyeing the metallic housing 110.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the casing of the electronic device ofFIG. 3D, and FIG. 3D may be considered as a cross-sectional diagram ofthe casing of the electronic device of FIG. 4 taken along line A-A′.Referring to FIG. 3D and FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the step offorming the non-conductive layer 120 on the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110 (step S130) includes an in-mold process, wherein amaterial of the non-conductive layer 120 may be a plastic, but materialand forming method of the non-conductive layer 120 are not particularlylimited in the invention. The step of forming the on-conductive layer120 on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 (step S130)includes, for example, placing the metallic housing 110 into a mold (notillustrated), and injecting a flowing plastic into the mold, whereinpart of the flowing plastic is filled into the apertures 130, so thatpart of the non-conductive layer 120 after molding may be extended intothe apertures 130, as shown in FIG. 3D. The non-conductive layer 120 ofthe present embodiment is formed periphery on the inner surface S1 ofthe metallic housing 110. The non-conductive layer 120 surroundsperiphery of the inner surface S1 in circle, and constitutes a localside of the casing 100 of the electronic device after the following-upprocesses. In addition, because the metallic housing 110 of the presentembodiment includes the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b, andthe apertures 130 are provided on the surfaces of the first gap 112 aand the second gap 112 b, in the step of forming the non-conductivelayer 120 on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 (stepS130), part of the non-conductive layer 120 is formed within the gaps(the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b) and extended into theapertures 130 formed on the surfaces of the gaps (the first gap 112 aand the second gap 112 b). In other words, during the in-mold process,part of the flowing plastic may also flow into the first gap 112 a andthe second gap 112 b as well as the apertures 130 located on thesurfaces of the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b, so that partof the non-conductive layer 120 after molding may be extended into thefirst gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b as well as the apertures 130located on the surfaces of the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b.

In the method of manufacturing the casing 100 of the electronic device,the apertures 130 are formed on the inner surface S1 of the metallichousing 110 and the surfaces of the first gap 112 a and the second gap112 b before the step of forming the non-conductive layer 120 on theinner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 and the first gap 112 a andthe second gap 112 b, thus the non-conductive layer 120 may be extendedinto the apertures 130. In the present embodiment, the metallic housing110 and the non-conductive layer 120 are bonded by the in-mold process,and part of the non-conductive layer 120 is extended into the apertures130, such that a favorable bonding force may be provided between themetallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120 for enhancing themechanical strength of the casing 100 of the electronic device formed inthe subsequent process. In addition, because the size of the apertures130 of the present embodiment is in nanoscale, the flowing plastic maybe completely infiltrated into the apertures 130. Accordingly, afavorable airtight ability may be provided between the metallic housing110 and the non-conductive layer 120 to stop liquid or gas from passingthrough, so as to achieve a zero-gap design.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3E and FIG. 5. Therein, FIG. 5 is aschematic diagram of the casing of the electronic device of FIG. 3E, andFIG. 3E may be considered as a cross-sectional diagram of the casing ofthe electronic device of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B′. In step S140, theouter surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 is mechanically treated. Inthe present embodiment, after the step of forming the non-conductivelayer 120 on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 (stepS130), the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 is mechanicallytreated to remove part of the metallic housing 110 to expose part of thenon-conductive layer 120 formed in the first gap 112 a and the secondgap 112 b to the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110, so as toform a plurality of non-conductive spacers (the first non-conductivespacer 120 a and the second non-conductive spacer 120 b) located in thefirst gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b. In addition, lateral sides ofthe outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 are also removed,wherein part of the non-conductive layer 120 surrounding periphery ofthe inner surface S1 forms the non-conductive frame 120 c, andconstitutes sidewalls of the casing 100 of the electronic devicetogether with the rest of the lateral sides of the metallic housing 110,as shown in FIG. 5. The step of machining the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 includes, for example, a computer numerical control(CNC) treatment, but the method of machining the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 is not particularly limited in the invention. Bymachining the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110, a shape ofthe appearance of the casing 100 of the electronic device may beadjusted accordingly. For instance, the lateral sides of the metallichousing 110 of the present embodiment are substantially aligned with thenon-conductive frame 120 c, so that the sidewalls of the casing 100 ofthe electronic device may be flat. In addition, by machining the outersurface S2 of the metallic housing 110, the first non-conductive spacer120 a and the second non-conductive spacer 120 b may be exposed to thelateral sides of the metallic housing and substantially aligned with thelateral sides of the metallic housing 110. Accordingly, the outersurface S2 of the metallic housing 110 and the first non-conductivespacer 120 a, the second non-conductive spacer 120 b and thenon-conductive frame 120 c exposed to the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 may provide a seamless appearance, but theinvention is not limited thereto, they may be adjusted based onrequirements in the shape of the casing 100 of the electronic device.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first non-conductive spacer120 a and the second non-conducive spacer 120 b formed in the first gap112 a and the second gap 112 b and exposed to the outer surface S2 ofthe metallic housing 110 may divide the metallic housing 110 into theupper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b, and the lower cover 110 cwhich are separated and electrically insulted from each other, and theupper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b, and the lower cover 110 c maycorrespondingly from the three regions which are adjacent to but notcontacting each other, such as the regions R1, R2, and R3. The uppercover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b, and the lower cover 110 c which areseparated from each other may be connected by the supporting structures113 a and 113 b, so as maintain the relative position thereof during theprocess of manufacturing the casing 100 of the electronic device.However, in other embodiments, although the gaps and the non-conductivespacers formed in the gaps and exposed to the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 may divide the metallic housing 110 into theregions which are adjacent to but not contacting each other, quantityand range of the regions may by adjusted according to quantity andposition of the gaps and the non-conductive spacers and whether todispose them, and the invention is not limited thereto.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, in step S150, a surface treatment process isperformed to the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110. In thepresent embodiment, after the step of machining the outer surface S2 ofthe metallic housing 110 (step S140), the surface treatment process isperformed to the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110. Thesurface treatment process may include cleaning the outer surface S2 ofthe metallic housing 110, and may also be decorating the outer surfaceS2 of the metallic housing 110. A method of decorating the outer surfaceS2 of the metallic housing 110 may be, for example, forming a roughsurface on the outer surface by a sandblasting process, or making theouter surface S2 a glossy surface by a polishing process, or may also beforming hairlines on the outer surface S2 by a grinding process, so thatthe outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 may provide a specialtactile effect or a special visual effect. In other embodiments, thetype of the surface treatment process may be selected based on actualrequirements, and the surface treatment process to the outer surface S2the metallic housing 110 may also be omitted.

Next, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3F, in step S160, the outer surfaceS2 of the metallic housing 110 is dyed to from the casing 100 of theelectronic device. In the present embodiment, the step of dyeing theouter surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 includes an anodizingprocess. The anodizing process is a surface treatment technology with amain purpose to extend lifetime of a metal object or improve anaesthetics of the metal object by changing physical, mechanical, andchemical properties of a surface of the metal object for improving asurface characteristic thereof (e.g., improving capabilities likeetch-proof, heat-proof, or improving conductivity for the metal object).In the anodizing process, the metal object (e.g., metallic housing 110of the present embodiment) is placed at a anode in an electrolysis tank,and a determined voltage and current is applied to facilitate thesurface of the metal object in forming a favorable metal oxide layer,and the metallic housing 110 may provide the same voltage to the uppercover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110 c throughconduction of the supporting structures 113 a and 113 b (as shown in anenlarged diagram of FIG. 3F). Because the material of metallic housing110 in the present embodiment is aluminum, a material of the metal oxidelayer formed on the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 by theanodizing process is aluminum oxide. Accordingly, the anodizing processis capable forming the metal oxide layer (which is dense and withprotectiveness) based on a base metal on the surface of the metallichousing 110, so as to enhance the mechanical strength of the metallichousing 110. And, said metal oxide layer may include apertures, suchthat the colors in the subsequent dyeing step may be infiltrated intoinner layers of the metallic housing 110. After forming the metal oxidelayer on the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110, the metallichousing 110 having the metal oxide layer may be dyed by the processsolvent with colors. Dyes in the process solvent may be filled into theapertures of the metal oxide layer to dye the metal oxide layer, so thatthe casing 100 of the electronic device may provide the colorappearance. After dyeing by the process solvent with colors, a washingprocess may performed to the casing 100 of the electronic device havingthe color appearance, so as to decrease the possibility of the unevendyeing caused by the remained process solvent.

Lastly, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3G, in step S170, part of thenon-conductive layer 120 and part of the metallic housing 110 areremoved from the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110, so thatthe connecting terminals 114 may be formed by part of the inner surfaceS1 of the metallic housing 110. More specifically, the descriptions andthe drawings for forming the non-conductive layer 120 in the foregoingembodiments merely illustrates that the non-conductive layer 120includes the first non-conductive spacer 120 a, the secondnon-conductive spacer 120 b and the non-conductive frame 120 c. But inactual processes, it is also possible that the non-conductive layer 120may be formed on part of the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing110. For example, a non-conductive material may be remained on the innersurface S1 near the gaps while being filled into the gaps, or thenon-conductive material may be remained on the inner surface S1 nearfour corners of the non-conductive frame 120 c while forming thenon-conductive frame 120 c. Therefore, after the step of dyeing theouter surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 (step S160), part of thenon-conductive layer 120 may be removed from the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110 based on actual requirements.

Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3G and FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematicdiagram of the casing of the electronic device of FIG. 3G, and FIG. 3Gmay be considered as a cross-sectional diagram of FIG. 6 taken alongline C-C′. At the time, the upper cover 110 a, the middle cover 110 b,and the lower cover 110 c to be separated and electrically insulatedfrom each other as mentioned above are practically still connected toeach other through the supporting structures 113 a and 113 b. Therefore,after the step of dyeing the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing110 (step S160), part of the metallic housing 110 may be removed fromthe inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110 based on actualrequirements. For instance, FIG. 6 shows a status in which the twosupporting structures 113 a and one of the supporting structures 113 bin FIG. 5 are removed. The step of removing part of non-conductive layer120 or part of the metallic housing 110 from the inner surface S1 of themetallic housing 110 includes, for example, a computer numerical control(CNC) treatment, but the invention is not limited thereto. Because thefirst non-conductive spacer 120 a and the second non-conducive spacer120 b formed in the first gap 112 a and the second gap 112 b and exposedto the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110 divides the metallichousing 110 into the regions R1, R2, and R3 adjacent to but notcontacting each other, after removing the two supporting structures 113a from the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing 110, the upper cover110 a and the middle cover 110 b (which are corresponding to the regionsR1 and R2, respectively) may be separated and electrically insulatedfrom each other, whereas the middle cover 110 b and the lower cover 110c (which are corresponding to the regions R2 and R3, respectively) maystill be electrically connected to each other through the supportingstructure 113 b that is not yet removed. The connecting terminals 114may be formed on the metallic housing 110 by part of the inner surfaceS1 corresponding to the regions R1 and regions R2 or R3. Accordingly,the regions R1 and R3 of the casing 100 of the electronic device may beelectrically connected to the electronic device through the innersurface S1 to form an antenna, such that the electronic device may beprovided with functions of the antenna. Therein, the region R1 mayindividually serve as one antenna, and the regions R2 and R3electrically connected to each other through the supporting 113 b mayserve as another antenna region.

In the present embodiment, the non-conductive layer 120 may be selectedfrom a material having favorable mechanical properties and etch-proofcharacteristic, such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), or polyamide (PA), but the invention is not limitedby above-said materials. Because the non-conductive layer 120 has thefavorable mechanical properties, even if part of the non-conductivelayer 120 are removed from the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing110 by mechanical treatment, the mechanical strength and the bondingforce between the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120cannot be affected, and the airtight ability between the metallichousing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120 cannot be affected either.In addition, because the non-conductive layer 120 has the etch-proofcharacteristic, even if the outer surface S2 of the metallic housing 110is dyed by the anodizing process after the step of forming thenon-conductive layer 120 on the inner surface S1 of the metallic housing110, the non-conductive layer 120 cannot be etched by the processsolvent used in the anodizing process.

On the other hand, because the favorable airtight ability is providedbetween the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120, theprocess solvent used in the step of dyeing the outer surface S2 of themetallic housing 110 by the anodizing process cannot be remained betweenthe metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120. In otherwords, because the zero-gap design is achieved between the metallichousing 110 and the non-conductive layer 120, the process solvent cannotenter spaces between the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductivelayer 120. Therefore, in the subsequent dyeing process, because theprocess solvent is not remained between the metallic housing 110 and thenon-conductive layer 120, the uneven dyeing of the casing 100 of theelectronic device caused by the process solvent would not happen. Inother words, because the apertures 130 provide the favorable airtightability between the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer120, the uneven dyeing of the casing 100 of the electronic device causedby the process solvent leaked in the subsequent dyeing process andremained between the metallic housing 110 and the non-conductive layer120 may be solved.

In summary, in the casing of the electronic device of the invention,multiple apertures are formed on the inner surface of the metallichousing by the nano molding technology, and the non-conductive layer isbonded on the inner surface of the metallic housing by the in-moldprocess, wherein part of the non-conductive layer is extended into theapertures, and part of the non-conductive layer is disposed in the gapsof the metallic housing to form the non-conductive spacers, so as todivide the metallic housing into multiple regions. Accordingly, theelectronic device may provide the favorable mechanical strength as wellas the favorable airtight ability between the metallic housing and thenon-conductive layer. Moreover, the uneven dyeing of the casing of theelectronic device may be avoided by preventing the process solvent fromremaining between the metallic housing and the non-conductive layerduring the subsequent process of dyeing the metallic housing by theanodizing process, such that the electronic device may provide an evencolor appearance.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the aboveembodiments, it is apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the art thatmodifications to the described embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention will be defined by the attached claims not by the abovedetailed descriptions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A casing of an electronic device, comprising: ametallic housing, having an inner surface and an outer surface oppositeto the inner surface, the outer surface of the metallic housing beingdyed, the inner surface being substantially a recessed structure, andthe metallic housing having a first gap communicating the inner surfaceand the outer surface, wherein the metallic housing further comprises atleast one connecting terminal; and a first non-conductive spacer,disposed in the first gap of the metallic housing.
 2. The casing of theelectronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the metallic housingcomprises an upper cover and a middle cover, and the first gap islocated between the upper cover and the middle cover.
 3. The casing ofthe electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the firstnon-conductive spacer is substantially a strip structure.
 4. The casingof the electronic device as recited in claim 1, further comprising: asecond non-conductive spacer, wherein the metallic housing furthercomprises a second gap connecting through the inner surface and theouter surface, and the second non-conductive spacer is disposed in thesecond gap of the metallic housing.
 5. The casing of the electronicdevice as recited in claim 4, wherein the metallic housing comprises amiddle cover and a lower cover, and the second gap is located betweenthe middle cover and the lower cover.
 6. The casing of the electronicdevice as recited in claim 5, wherein the second non-conductive spaceris substantially a strip structure.